USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Hampden county, 1636-1936, Volume III > Part 41
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William Skinner, Sr., was educated in the public schools of London and in his early 'teens entered the silk mills where his father was employed. He served his apprentice- ship under his father's watchful guidance and in 1843, at the age of nineteen, came to the United States, seeking the larger oppor- tunities of a newer country. At that time he was already an expert dyer and accordingly had little difficulty in obtaining employment in the Valentine Dye Works at Northamp- ton, Massachusetts. Two years later, in as- sociation with Joseph Warner, whose sister he later married, he formed the firm of Warner and Skinner and began the manu- facture of sewing silks at Northampton. In 1848 he retired from the firm to enter busi- ness independently and occupied an old fac- tory which he had purchased, located on the Mill River in the town of Williamsburg. There he continued in the manufacture of sewing silks. In 1853 it became advisable to secure larger quarters. A more commodi- ous plant was purchased at what was later known as Skinnerville, in the town of Wil- liamsburg, and in 1854 he began the manu- facture of silk twists in addition to his for- mer line of sewing silks. In 1857, to provide for his steadily expanding trade, he built a three-story mill which he called the Unquo- monk Silk Mills. During the following sev- enteen years he remained in business at that locality, making steady progress in his chosen field until he became one of the lead- ing manufacturers in western Massachu- setts.
The breaking of the Williamsburg Dam on May 16, 1874, destroyed the Skinner mills and the village, but by October of that same year William Skinner had obtained credit sufficient to complete his first mill in Hol- yoke, where he began operations on a scale that grew increasingly broader. He manu- factured the cotton back satin, silk and mo-
hair braids and silk linings, and similar prod- ucts and made his name internationally fa- mous. In 1878 his son William and in 1883 his son, Joseph A., were admitted into part- nership under the trade name of William Skinner and Sons. In 1889 the business was incorporated as the William Skinner Manu- facturing Company, but later resumed the original name. The largest proportional growth of the business was made during the régime in which the three men were closest associated, although its great size and scope of production was attained in the present century. The elder William Skinner died on February 28, 1902, and was succeeded as the executive head of the company by his son, the William Skinner of this review, who had been in virtual command of the business for some years. It is probably too well known to require repetition that the Skinner Mills became one of the largest and best known of their kind, with distribution offices in the largest cities of the United States. "Skinner's Satin" remains without a supe- rior, and a constant stream of silk and satin goods goes out from the immense Holyoke plant. William Skinner, Sr., was as notable in his philanthropies and humanitarian ac- tivities, in his generous support of educa- tional and religious institutions, in construc- tive citizenship, as he was in the world of industry.
On October 14, 1848, William Skinner married (first), Nancy Edwards Warner, of Northampton, Massachusetts, who died in 1854. They had two children, both now de- ceased : I. Eleanor, who married Frederick H. Warner of Boston. 2. Nancy, who mar- ried Charles E. Clark of Philadelphia. Mr. Skinner married (second), on May 15, 1856, Sarah Elizabeth Allen, who died on March 6, 1908, daughter of Captain Joseph and Mehitable (Parsons) Allen of Northampton. Five children were born of this marriage: I.
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William, of whom further. 2. Elizabeth Allen, who married the Rev. William H. Hubbard, D. D., of Auburn, New York. 3. Joseph Allen, treasurer of William Skinner and Sons, and chairman of the Hadley Falls Trust Company of Holyoke, Massachusetts. 4. Belle, philanthropist, devoted to music and restoration of devasted France, died in Paris, France, on April 9, 1928. Her brother William Skinner, presented to Vassar Col- lege of which she was a graduate, the Belle Skinner Hall of Music in honor of her works and memory. 5. Katharine, who married Robert S. Kilborne, of New York City.
William Skinner, son of William and Sarah Elizabeth (Allen) Skinner, was born June 12, 1857, at Northampton, Massachu- setts. After completing his formal educa- tion in Williston Seminary and Yale Uni- versity, he entered the employ of the firm founded by his father, and which, as has been indicated, became William Skinner and Sons, in 1883, when he and his brother, Jo- seph Allen, were admitted to partnership. He was then twenty-six years of age and had given proof of his ability and interest in the silk industry. Since 1902 he has been the president of William Skinner and Sons, and is recognized as one of the best known men in the silk industry and was for some years president of the Silk Association of America.
Mr. Skinner was formerly vice-president of the Pacific Bank of New York City, which later merged with the Irving Trust Com- pany, and is now a director of the Irving Trust Company, the Equitable Life Assur- ance Society of New York, the Massachu- setts Mutual Life Insurance Company, the United States Conditioning and Testing Company and a trustee of the American Surety Company. He is a member of sev- eral clubs, including the Metropolitan, the Union League, and the Manhattan. During
the World War he served as a "Dollar-a- year man" with the War Industries Board and was a member of the Western Massa- chusetts Draft Exemption Board. Mr. Skin- ner devotes his principal attention to the management of the organization founded by his father. He resides in New York.
WILLIAM HENRY HUBBARD-A
leader in business, widely known socially, William Henry Hubbard, secretary, assist- ant treasurer and trustee of the silk manu- facturing firm of William Skinner and Sons, is listed among the prominent citizens of the city of Holyoke, where he has resided for over a quarter of a century. Of distinguished New England stock he is carrying on the illustrious traditions of his forebears, who were among the earliest settlers of this vi- cinity and took a keen and active part in the affairs of their surroundings.
William Henry Hubbard was born in Auburn, New York, May 16, 1888, the son of the Rev. Dr. William H. and Elizabeth Allen (Skinner) Hubbard. His father, a cleric, was born in Clark County, Kentucky, April 16, 1851, and died in New York City, January 31, 1913. He represented the ninth generation of descendants of George and Mary (Bishop) Hubbard, who came to this country from England with their infant son John and first settled in Warrenton, Massa- chusetts, in 1633. They remained here but a short time, however, later removing to Guilford, Connecticut, where George Hub- bard became prominent in social and civic affairs. According to family records he was a member of the Assembly at the union of the Hartford and New Haven Colonies in 1670. Dr. William H. Hubbard was gradu- ated from high school in Louisville, Ken- tucky ; in 1866 he received a diploma from the Bryant and Stratton Mercantile School of that city ; and in 1871 was graduated from
Millimust Hubbard
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Amherst College, Massachusetts. He then entered the Andover Theological Seminary, which he attended for one year, and in 1874 was graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary. His first pastorate was at Rut- land, Massachusetts, and after supervising the affairs of this parish for one year he went to the Congregational Church in Mer- rimac, where he remained for seven and one- half years. He then became pastor of the South Congregational Church of Concord, New Hampshire, and from there went to the Second Congregational Church of Holyoke, where he preached for one year. It was dur- ing this period that he married, on Novem- ber 9, 1886, Elizabeth Allen Skinner, daugh- ter of William and Sarah E. (Allen) Skinner. Her father was a well-known silk manufac- turer and philanthropist in the city of Hol- yoke. Mrs. Hubbard, who was born in Hay- denville, Massachusetts, July 15, 1859, was graduated from Vassar College with a Bach- elor of Arts degree in the class of 1880. She died in Holyoke on February 13, 1927. After his marriage Dr. Hubbard became pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Auburn, New York, where he remained until 1911 when he resigned to devote his time to his duties as a member of the executive com- mission of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church.
William Henry Hubbard received a gen- eral education in the public schools of his native community and after graduating from high school in 1906, entered the Sheffield Scientific School of Yale University, from which he was graduated in 1909 with a Bachelor of Philosophy degree. While a student here he won the freshman mathe- matical prize and was among the honor stu- dents of his class. After finishing his sci- entific training Mr. Hubbard came to Hol- yoke where he became associated with the silk manufacturing firm of William Skinner
and Sons. He entered the business in a modest capacity and worked his way through the various departments, securing a well-rounded and practical experience that has eminently equipped him for the impor- tant position he occupies with this organi- zation today.
Throughout his residence in this commu- nity he has been active and prominent in social and civic affairs and today is identi- fied with many of the leading organizations of this section. A member and past presi- dent of the Rotary Club of Holyoke, he also belongs to the Mount Tom Golf Club, the Holyoke Canoe Club, the Longmeadow Country Club, the Tunxis Club, the Fishers Island Club, the Yale Club and Manhattan Club of New York City, and "The Club" of Holyoke. Mr. Hubbard is a member of the Second Congregational Church of this city where he serves on the parish committee. In his political convictions he subscribes to the principles set forth by the Republican party. During the World War he enlisted and was a member of the Field Artillery Officers' Training Corps at Camp Taylor, Kentucky. He was honorably discharge from the serv- ice, October II, 1918, and then was com- missioned second lieutenant, Officers' Re- serve Corps, December II, 1918. An ardent sportsman, Mr. Hubbard finds his greatest enjoyment in yachting and golf.
On June 12, 1917, Mr. Hubbard married Dorothy Alice White, a native of Holyoke and the daughter of Edward Nelson and Alice Louise (Webber) White. Her father, chairman of the board of directors and treas- urer of the White and Wyckoff Manufac- turing Company, producers of high grade writing paper, is a member of the board of trustees of Mt. Holyoke College. Her mother, who died in November, 1890, was the daughter of Joel S. Webber, a pioneer woolen manufacturer of this valley and a
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prominent citizen of Holyoke. Mrs. Hub- bard was graduated from Dana Hall at Wellesley, Massachusetts, and Miss Mc- Lean's School for Girls in Paris, France. She is active in the affairs of the Second Congregational Church in this city, is a member of the Women's Club, the Reading Club, chairman of the executive committee of the Skinner Coffee House, Inc., and vari- ous other organizations. Mr. and Mrs. Hub- bard are the parents of two daughters: I. Louise Hubbard, born June 9, 1918. 2. Elizabeth Skinner Hubbard, born May 20, 1927.
WALDO LINCOLN COOK-During his long association with the "Springfield Re- publican," Waldo Lincoln Cook has had a major part in the maintenance of the high standards which have brought this paper a national reputation. As editor, the respon- sibility for its editorial policy is in his hands.
Mr. Cook was born at Woonsocket, Rhode Island, on February 19, 1865, a son of Wil- liam N. and Rhoby (Sherburne) Cook. He was educated at Tufts College, from which he was graduated in 1887, and in 1893 re- ceived from that institution the degree of Bachelor of Arts, extra ordinem. In 1921 Tufts College conferred upon him the degree of Master of Arts, causa honoris, in recogni- tion of his distinguished career. Mr. Cook's connection with the "Springfield Republi- can" dates from April, 1888, and since that time he has been continuously a member of its staff. He became an editorial writer for the paper in 1896, and on October 1, 19II, was appointed chief editorial writer, taking charge of the editorial page, whose excel- lence has been one of the paper's greatest distinctions. To his present duties as editor he brings the broad experience gained in his long service with the "Springfield Republi- can," a full knowledge of its fine traditions
and a just pride in the perpetuation of its influence as a nationally known organ of opinion.
Mr. Cook is a member of the honorary scholastic society, Phi Beta Kappa. Because of his position as well as his personal con- tacts he has been for many years a well- known figure in the life of Hampden County and the city of Springfield, where he makes his home.
JOHN MacDUFFIE-As founder and for many years principal of the MacDuffie School at Springfield, Dr. John MacDuffie developed this institution to its present high place among institutions of secondary edu- cation in the State. Although today he has relinquished his more active administrative duties in connection with the school he con- tinues as president and treasurer of the board of trustees.
Dr. MacDuffie was born at Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 16, 1861, a son of John and Hannah Elizabeth (Givens) Mac- Duffie. His father, a well-known figure in public life, served as a member of both chambers of the Cambridge city govern- ment, as postmaster of Cambridge from 1860 to 1872, member of the school committee, as city clerk of committees from 1877 to 1916 and as representative in the Massachusetts Legislature.
John MacDuffie, the son, received his pre- liminary education in the public schools of Cambridge and after completing the high school course in 1880 entered Harvard Uni- versity, from which he was graduated in 1884 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, cum laude. Subsequently, in 1884-85, he car- ried on post-graduate studies at Harvard University, in 1886-87 at Columbia Univer- sity, and in 1894-95 at Knox College, Indi- ana, where he took the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Meanwhile, his professional
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career was well under way. During the academic year 1885-86, Dr. MacDuffie served as principal of the Kingston (Massachu- setts) High School, and from 1886 to 1890 was vice-principal of Prospect Hill School at Greenfield, Massachusetts. In the latter year he founded and became principal of the MacDuffie School in Springfield, whose de- velopment has continued under his active leadership for almost a half century. In 1915 the MacDuffie School was incorporated as a non-profit educational institution un- dier the laws of the Commonwealth. In April, 1936, Dr. MacDuffie resigned the principalship which he had held for so many years in favor of his son, Malcolm A. Mac- Duffie, but continues his active connection with the school as president and treasurer of the board of trustees.
Dr. MacDuffie, who is well known as a scholar as well as an educator, is a Fellow of the Royal Economic Society of London, a distinction conferred upon him in 1929; a life member of the American Economic As- sociation; and a member of the American Statistical Association and the American Classical Association. From 1887 to 1889, he was a collaborator on the London Chau- cer Society Concordance. In addition to these connections, he is a member and sec- retary of the literary Club of Springfield, a member of the City Club and the Century Club of Springfield, the Saturday Night Club and the Free and Accepted Masons, in which latter order he is affiliated with vari- ous higher bodies, including the Command- ery of the Knights Templar. In religious faith he is a Unitarian Congregationalist.
On August 10, 1886, at Greenfield, Massa- chusetts, John MacDuffie married Abby Parsons, daughter of the Rev. James Challis and Etta (Blaisdell) Parsons. They are the parents of three children : Jean, born Janu- ary 16, 1888; Elsbeth, born May 6, 1898; and Malcolm Angus, born July 27, 1902.
LAURENCE LOCKE DOGGETT- From 1896 to 1936 Dr. Laurence Locke Doggett served as president of the Interna- tional Young Men's Christian Association College at Springfield. He is a well-known educator and has occupied a prominent place in the Young Men's Christian Association movement for almost half a century.
Dr. Doggett was born in Manchester, Iowa, on December 22, 1864, a son of Simeon Locke and Mary Ann (White) Doggett. After the completion of his early education he entered Oberlin College, where he took the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1886 and the further degrees of Master of Arts and Bachelor of Divinity in 1890. During the academic year 1889, Dr. Doggett was a stu- dent at Union Theological Seminary in New York and in 1893-94 studied at the Univer- sity of Berlin. In the following year he also studied at the University of Leipzig, taking the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in 1895.
Meanwhile, his career in Young Men's Christian Association work, to which he has given his life, was well under way. In 1888 he became assistant State secretary of that organization in Ohio and in 1889-90 was sec- retary of the Oberlin Young Men's Christian Association. From 1890 to 1893 he was again assistant State secretary for Ohio and in 1895-96 was State secretary for Ohio. In August, 1896, he was called to the presi- dency of the International Young Men's Christian Association College in Springfield, Massachusetts, and administered the duties of this office without interruption until his retirement January 1, 1936. The develop- ment of the institution has rested largely in his hands and its success reflects the quality of his leadership.
Dr. Doggett also served as principal of the Summer Training Institute at Silver Bay, Lake George, New York, from 1903 to 191I. He was a director of the International Young Men's Christian Association School
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at Geneva, Switzerland, which was discon- tinued in 1933, and was editor of the "Asso- ciation Seminar," a former Young Men's Christian Association publication. His two- volume "History of the Young Men's Chris- tian Association," the first volume published in 1896 and the second in 1922, is a standard account of the growth and progress of the organization. Dr. Doggett also published, in 1901 a "History of the Boston Young Men's Christian Association," and in 1902 a "Life of Robert R. McBurney," in addition to his occasional contributions to various periodicals. He is a member of the Massa- chusetts Society of Descendants of the Pil- grims; the Association of Employed Officers of the Young Men's Christian Association of North America; and of several clubs, in- cluding the University Club of Boston, the Realty Club, the Century Club, the Foreign Policy Club and The Club, of Springfield. He is a communicant of the Congregational Church.
On October 3, 1894, Dr. Doggett married Caroline Gillespie Durgin, A. M., of Hills- dale, Michigan. They are the parents of two children : Ruth Wedgewood (Doggett) Ken- nedy and Clinton Locke Doggett. Mrs. Car- oline G. Doggett died July 22, 1932, and on July 3, 1934, Dr. Doggett married E. Olive Dutcher, M. A., professor of the Bible at Wellesley College, from which position she retired at the time of her marriage.
NATHAN PRENTICE AVERY-A dis- tinguished member of the Hampden County bar and a leading figure in the life of Hol- yoke for many years was Nathan Prentice Avery. He was born in Norwich, Connecti- cut, May 13, 1869, the son of Captain Edwin Prentice and Adelaide L. (Smith) Avery and a descendant of Christopher Avery, the immigrant ancestor, who was born in Eng- land about 1590. The first records of Chris-
topher Avery show him to have been a se- lectman in Gloucester, Massachusetts, in 1646, 1652 and 1654, and that he took the oath of allegiance and fidelity on June 29, 1653. In 1658 he sold land in Gloucester and moved to Boston, where he purchased property in what is now the center of the city, near the present site of the Post Office Building and the birthplace of Benjamin Franklin. The deed for this property was acknowledged by Governor Endicott, and its purchase price was forty pounds. Chris- topher Avery later moved to New London, Connecticut, with his son James and died there on March 12, 1679.
Captain Edwin Prentice Avery, father of Nathan Prentice Avery, was born in Nor- wich, Connecticut, on October 26, 1836. Fol- lowing the outbreak of the War Between the States he enlisted in Company A, 18th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry and served with these troops until he was captured by the Confederate forces at Winchester, Vir- ginia. He was held captive at Libby and Belle Isle prisons for a considerable period, but was finally exchanged and was later dis- charged because of the serious impairment of his health. During the course of his service he rose to the rank of captain. In civil life, Captain Avery was an accountant and bookkeeper. He came to Holyoke in 1891 and was associated for many years with the William Skinner Manufacturing Com- pany, continuing his residence in this city until his death. He was a Republican in politics and a member of the Second Con- gregational Church of Holyoke. Adelaide L. (Smith) Avery, his wife, was born at East Lyme, Connecticut, daughter of Simeon and Mary Ann (Morgan) Smith. Her father was also born in East Lyme and died there on his farm, which was purchased from the Indians in the early part of the seventeenth century and is still in possession
nathan P. avery
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of the family. Her mother, a Morgan, was descended from families to which Aaron Burr belonged and had in her possession letters written by him.
Nathan Prentice Avery received his pre- liminary education at Northampton High School, from which he was graduated in 1887. In 1891 he took the degree of Bachelor of Arts at Amherst College and for four years thereafter served as principal of Yates High School and the district union school at Chittenango, Madison County, New York. At the end of this time he enrolled for post- graduate work at Clarke University, Worces- ter, Massachusetts, following which he took up the study of law under the Hon. Edward W. Chapin of Holyoke. On June 23, 1896, he was admitted to the bar of Hampden County and entered independent practice at Hol- yoke. A few years served to establish his professional reputation and with the growth of his practice he formed a partnership with Arthur S. Gaylord, under the firm name of Avery and Gaylord. Some years later Rus- sell L. Davenport was admitted to partner- ship but eventually withdrew to be replaced by Frank E. Button. On January 1, 1933, James M. Healy also became a partner, and the firm name, whose changes reflected these several reorganizations, became Avery, Gay- lord, Healy and Button. In the spring of 1935, Mr. Gaylord retired and since that time the firm has continued as Avery, Healy and Button. It has borne a distinguished reputation for many years and its members have appeared in scores of important cases.
While Mr. Avery has never limited his practice, he has specialized in corporation law and probate matters and is a recognized authority in these fields. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Hamp- den County Bar Association and served three years as president of the Massachu- setts State Bar Association, an honor which
reflects his high professional standing. He was also president for two years of the Hampden County Bar Association. In ad- dition to these connections, Mr. Avery has filled a number of public offices. He was city solicitor of Holyoke from 1899 to 1904, and from May, 1904 to 1910 was mayor of the city of Holyoke. On May 22, 1917, he was elected as a delegate from the First Congressional District to the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention and served three summers. For the past fifteen years he has also been a member of the Holyoke School Board and still retains this office.
Mr. Avery is an independent Republican in politics and a member of the Second Con- gregational Church of Holyoke. He is a member of the Young Men's Christian As- sociation, the Holyoke Chamber of Com- merce, the Theta Delta Chi and Phi Beta Kappa fraternities, the Mt. Tom Golf Club, the Rotary Club of Holyoke; Holyoke Lodge, No. 902, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; Holyoke Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows ; and Nonotuck Lodge and Mt. Tom Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons. In the Masonic Order he is also a member of all the higher bodies of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, including the thirty-second degree of the Consistory, and a member of Melha Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, at Springfield. He is fond of sports and finds his principal recreation in golf during the summer, and bowling in winter.
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